Tomorrow we tell the DCs that we're separating

We've waited until exams finished but tomorrow we're telling them we're splitting up after nearly 20 years of marriage. It's my decision as I can't contemplate feeling this unhappy for the rest of my life.

I'm willing to be the 'baddie' in the situation (although I have worked SO hard to keep the family together as they grew up) but I'm still scared they'll reject me.

They all have very different personalities so we've agreed to tell them separately as I don't want the one with the most dominant personality to set the tone for how the others should react.

They're two older teenagers and a 'tween'.

I'd appreciate any advice to make it as painless as possible for them.

I think, tell them and then sit back and give them plenty of space to say things in return. Have your message simple and have answers for questions prepared, such as don't you love each other, can't you give it another go etc. And then be kind with the no answers to these questions. Think how long it took you to get your head round the idea and relate that to how long they might need. Xxx but good luck x

Unhappy and lonely is the exact way to describe it. Friends are talking about how they're looking forward to spending more time with their DHs now their DCs are getting older - it filled me with dread.

I'll update to let you know how things went. Hopefully it won't be a 'what NOT to do' post!

I dread though being alone with him, even for a 5 min car journey. The thought of just me & him when the kids left upset me so much. I thought I could wait until then but I just can't. How do I tell the kids though I've outgrown their dad, fallen out of love, sick of his non communicative ways & lack of intimacy and affection. No way I can be 100% honest with them.

My children were 8 and 10 and they were very upset, as I knew they would be. I told them about 15 minutes before they were going to watch a programme they loved and a couple of minutes before it started, I said, "Right, let's stop crying and watch this for a bit" and I was amazed - their tears dried and within minutes they were laughing at the programme. Afterwards they were subdued and did talk some more but the horror had worn off by then and they were able to cope.

I hope it goes well. It's such a tough thing to have to do. I hope you'll be much, much happier in your new life.

Interested in this as I/we need to tell our DC soon, but they are quite a bit younger than yours. It is me instigating the split too and it is not what H wants at all. I'm worried about how we can phrase it, because "mummy and daddy don't love each other anymore" isn't true, H wants to stay in a relationship but like Hotwaterbottle this has been going on for over 4 years and I can't take anymore.

Good luck splittingup, I hope the conversation goes as well as it can.

Waiting until after their exams must have been extremely difficult for you. I recall people on here saying that it helps if you reassure them they can talk to you any time and give an idea where they're going to live and what access they'll have to each parent. And if you know someone who they trust to talk to, give them the okay to let it out to a third party.

A good friend whose parents divorced when she was at primary school (so younger than your DCs) said she wished she could have told them both:1) "Don't put me in a situation where I feel I have to pick sides"2) "It's not necessary to go into huge detail - it is okay to say there were adult/private issues you couldn't agree on, though you tried your best to sort them out".

Thank you everyone for your advice. I'm sorry some of you are going through the same thing. He wants to stay together and thinks because things are slightly better everything is ok. It isn't. I feel suffocated.

He is moving out and I am hoping to stay in the house in the short/medium term to provide some stability for DCs.

It's been horrendous waiting for the exams to finish. We've swung from hate (from him) to normality. It's made me doubt my decision a few times, but then something happens to confirm I've done the right thing.

I'm in a similar situation, except DS 18 knows & DH doesn't! I think he suspects though - he has to - he knows & makes no effort to change the things he knows upset me & that I find unacceptable - we have had many many discussions going back over several years. He occasionally mutters about knowing I'll leave him when DS leaves home, but I think when I tell him "this is it" he'll be horrified.

Well we've told the oldest and the youngest. We emphasised that we'd worked at it but the marriage still wasn't right, we'd probably be better parents if we weren't together as there'd be no conflict and that we would both always be there for them.

Oldest looked in a state of shock and asked why now rather than five years ago ( when things were horrendous). I'd always said to stbxh that it was my biggest regret that I didn't go then as then I wouldn't have to justify my decision as it was so obvious.

DC1 then said they understood and why should we be unhappy to stay together for them.

He worried about the financial situation as we said this would always be his home. He knows I can't afford it on my salary so we reassured him that it would be fine.

I'm a bit shocked as he said he might live with his dad. I can see his point as his dad's apartment is in the town where his friends live but I thought he'd stay a few times each week - not full time.

Youngest didn't say much. Just said "okay'. I emphasised he could talk to us at anytime or his siblings.

I would say don't tell them how long you've been unhappy and that you've been waiting for the children to grow older before splitting (if you have). My mum told me that her and dad were splitting when I was 16, and she'd been unhappy for years and was waiting for me to do exams. I felt and still feel very guilty that she was unhappy all that time. I wish she'd never mentioned it tbh.

Have just told the middle one who appeared the most shocked and said he "didn't get it".

We told them separately as the eldest has a very dominant personality and I didn't want the others to feel they had to follow their lead. I think it was the right thing to do as they were free to express their own feelings.

We told them it wasn't a quick decision and we had worked to save the marriage but were still unhappy.

It was a bit of an out of body experience. I felt it wasn't really happening. Nobody has mentioned it since - we've just sat and watched Glastonbury! I don't know if it just hasn't hit them yet. I'm sure when their dad moves out it'll seem real (to us all).

This day has been on my mind for weeks while we waited for exams to end so my major emotion is relief. No tears. A feeling of guilt perhaps but not tears.